Yeast products, notably those available in solid form (particularly compressed yeast), are particularly sensitive to their storage conditions, notably the temperature, and are particularly exposed to contamination. They are thus products which are difficult to package, and which require storage conditions which allows the maintenance of both their microbiological qualities and their performance (notably in terms of fermentation power) in order to secure the organoleptic quality of the bread-making products prepared from them.
In fact, the storage of solid yeast products in inappropriate conditions, or changes in the storage conditions, may have effects on yeast metabolism level. Therefore, an increase of the fermentation metabolism and/or respiratory metabolism causes a considerable production of gas and spontaneous heating of the products. This may lead to a degradation of the microbiological quality and the performance (notably in terms of fermentation power) of the yeast products, and therefore a degradation of the organoleptic qualities of the bread-making products obtained from them.
In particular, a rise in the surrounding temperature can result in an increase in the metabolism of yeasts, itself leading to a supplementary evolution of heat. In this way, an undesirable “chain reaction” can be established; it is therefore useful to provide packaging for solid yeast products which allows efficient cooling.
For example, there are known solid yeast products, also called “breads” (“pains”), either packaged individually in paper or left unpackaged, which are then grouped together and wrapped to form what are known as packs, protected with cellophane. Typically, the packs have a weight of approximately 2.5 kg. Typically, the packs are then grouped in sets of four in cardboard boxes having a weight of approximately 10 kg each. The boxes are finally palletized in crossed layers to form a package.
Since cardboard is a good thermal insulator, the method of packaging solid yeast products used at present has the drawback of not allowing completely satisfactory cooling of the solid yeast products.
In order to reduce this drawback, short bands are generally provided on the tops of the boxes in order to create an opening to facilitate contact with the external air; and, there is no overall packaging of the boxes on the pallet. However, this leads to risks of contamination of the products. Furthermore, the degree of cooling of the solid yeast products is not entirely satisfactory.
There is thus a real need to provide packaging which can preserve and maintain the qualities of solid yeast products, by allowing notably satisfactory cooling of the solid yeast products while reducing the risks of their contamination.
Citation or identification of any document in this application is not an admission that such document is available as prior art to the present invention.